


Connections

by haylches



Series: Connections Series [1]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Angst, F/M, Kidnapped Lance (Voltron), Langst, M/M, Psychological Torture, Rescue, Torture
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-30
Updated: 2018-08-03
Packaged: 2019-06-18 23:05:02
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 21
Words: 16,184
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15496746
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/haylches/pseuds/haylches
Summary: When Lance is kidnapped, the team tries as hard as they can to get him back. In the meantime, Lance is fighting his own battles, and Keith is beginning to wonder if he has feelings for the blue paladin after all.





	1. 1

Keith rolled over in bed. The distant sound of the castle’s thrumming engine surrounded him. He usually enjoyed the sound, but tonight it was getting on his nerves. He groaned, rolling out of bed. He must have been lying awake for hours. He threw on his clothes, muttering under his breath, and stomped out of his room.

Keith hadn’t been sleeping well lately. Granted, he had never been much of a sleeper. Back on Earth, he usually only slept for four or five hours a night. That had never been a big deal, but lately he was scraping by with only an hour or two, and those weren’t even restful. There’s only so much of that a person can take.

Keith sighed, the door to the training room sliding open in front of him. He really was too tired for this, but he figured that if he was going to be awake, he might as well do something useful.

“Begin training sequence two,” he called to the empty room. He activated his bayard as the gladiator landed in front of him. Keith parried back and forth, metal scraping metal as his weapon struck the gladiator’s staff. He quickly turned to defensive stances, however, as the gladiator’s attacks grew more forceful. The gladiator made a quick jab to his left rib, and he grunted at the force. Seizing his opportunity, he swung his bayard around to the gladiator’s undefended left side. The staff rose to block his swing, but it was too late. Keith struck the gladiator’s neck, a fatal blow. Recognizing defeat, the robot deactivated, slumping to the ground. Keith panted, sweat running down his face. He winced, pressing the tender spot on his left rib. Maybe he ought to train with his armor on more often.

Cursing at the sensitive bruise, Keith returned to the castle’s hallway. Maybe a snack would help him sleep.

The door to the kitchen slid open, and he grabbed the food-goo nozzle from the wall. It wasn’t an especially appetizing snack, but Hunk was still asleep. Keith wasn’t going to wake him up just for a midnight snack, especially knowing how enthusiastic Hunk would be to help.

Spooning mouthfuls of goo, he walked to the main entrance of the castle. They’d been camped out on a planet called Eghian for a few quintents. The locals were peaceful and had been under Galra control for decapheebs. Voltron had already freed them, and the team was currently working on rebuilding the civilization.

Keith pressed the button to open the main door, wandering out into the cool air. The weather of this planet reminded him of Earth, excluding the occasional meteor rain they experienced. He leaned against the castle wall, cleaning the rest of the goo out of the bowl with his spoon.

Something scraped behind him, and he whirled around. Eyes searching the entry hall of the castle, he slowly crept forward.

“Who’s there?” he called, drawing his knife. There was no reply. His eyes narrowed, scanning the hall once again. Spooked, he closed the main door, being sure it shut all the way before leaving the entrance. He wandered the castle halls, knife at the ready. Every room seemed empty, and he frowned to himself. He really DID need more sleep.

Sighing in defeat, he returned to his room. He glanced at Lance’s closed door, rolling his eyes a little. Knowing Lance’s sleeping habits, the door would probably stay that way well into the next day. Keith couldn’t help the pang of jealousy that crept into his mind. He couldn’t even get to sleep for an hour, let alone an entire night.

Collapsing onto his bed, he stared at the ceiling in dismay. This night was going to be the death of him.


	2. 2

A dark shadow flitted through the castle hall. The figure hesitated at a door before moving on. It seemed to be searching for something. Suddenly it stopped, hesitating again. The door it stood in front of slid open, and, after a moment of silence, the shadow swept into the room.

\---

Lance jerked awake, disoriented. Someone was picking him up.

“Hey hey, hands off the merchandise,” he grunted, thrashing out of their grip. He reached up to his sleep mask, but someone grabbed his wrists, roughly cuffing them together.

“Keith, this isn’t very funny,” he said, worry creeping into his voice. He kicked where he assumed the person to be, but soon found his ankles cuffed together as well.

“Stop, the joke’s over,” he said, a little more urgent this time. He felt himself slung over someone’s shoulder, his mask and headphones clattering to the ground. His eyes darted to the person carrying him.

Definitely not Keith.

The figure ran into the hall, Lance draped over his shoulder. He squirmed, trying to fight out of the person’s grip. The figure ran on, seemingly unbothered by Lance’s efforts.

There was only one thing left to do.

Lance screamed. He screamed like his life depended on it. The figure didn’t slow; if anything, he sped up. Lance kept it up, kicking and thrashing against the strong grip that held him. The figure let out a low growl, flinging Lance into the ground by his ankles.

Lance grunted, his head slamming into the hard floor. The figure swam before his eyes, a bit of purple showing under the hood.

“Galra,” Lance mumbled, his vision going dark. The figure leaned down, and Lance succumbed to the darkness.


	3. 3

Keith woke to the sound of screaming. He leapt out of bed, glad he hadn’t ever changed out of his clothes. Grabbing his knife, he dashed into the hallway. The screaming continued, but it seemed further away. Cursing, Keith ran down the hall towards the main entrance. He knew he’d heard something last night.

Keith heard Shiro shouting behind him, but he didn’t stop. He listened for the screams as he ran, making sure he was heading in the right direction. The screaming stopped abruptly. Keith sped up.

Hurtling himself down the stairs to the entryway, he saw the doors swinging closed.

“Augh!” he screamed, frustrated. He slammed his hand into the pad, and the doors slowly opened again. He dashed through the opening, scanning for any signs of movement. A Galra pod rose into the air, only meters away from where he stood.

“No!” Keith yelled, the pod escaping into the atmosphere. He pounded a fist into the dirt before sprinting back to the open doors. He flew through the entrance, running straight into Shiro.

“Woah, Keith, slow down,” Shiro said, steadying him. Keith looked up angrily.

“They escaped!” he yelled. “I chased them through the whole quiznaking castle, and they just got away!” He pushed himself out of Shiro’s grasp, running to the main control room. Coran and Allura were already there, frowning at the screen in front of them.

“What happened? Did you shoot it?” Keith demanded. Allura glanced towards him, frustrated.

“They already jumped through a wormhole, and I didn’t have enough time for a tracker or a scan of any kind,” Allura sighed. “I lost them.”

Keith groaned. The rest of the team slowly trickled into the room, confused. Shiro was in armor already, but Pidge and Hunk were still in their pajamas.

“Does anyone know what happened?” Shiro asked.

“It was my fault,” Keith mumbled, glaring at the ground.

“What? How was this your fault?” Shiro asked, confused.

Keith lifted his head. “I couldn’t sleep last night, so I wandered around the castle. I opened the main door”—Shiro lifted an eyebrow— “and I thought I heard something, so I shut the door and searched the castle, but I didn’t find anything. I figured I must have imagined it, so I went back to bed, and then someone was screaming, and I just… I wasn’t fast enough,” he finished, turning away from his teammates.

“Who was screaming?” Pidge questioned, glancing around the room. Keith frowned, a dark realization hitting his stomach.

Lance wasn’t in the room.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah, these have been really short. Sorry, I promise they get longer.


	4. 4

“Where’s Lance?” Keith asked, his voice sharp. Everyone’s eyes widened as they realized what had already hit Keith.

“He might still be asleep,” Hunk offered. Keith stormed through the hall towards Lance’s room.

“If he’s sleeping in there, I swear I’m going to kill him,” Keith muttered to himself, the rest of the team following close behind.

“He DOES always sleep with headphones on,” Pidge offered, reasoning through the situation.

Keith’s scowl deepened. He pressed the pad to Lance’s room, and the door slid open. He studied the empty room, pain filling his chest. The rest of the team stood silently behind him.

A pair of headphones and a sleep mask lay on the ground. The blanket was twisted and bunched at the bottom of the bed. Obvious signs of a struggle.

Shiro was the first to speak. “We need to put all of our efforts into finding Lance.” He hesitated a moment before continuing. “How can we find him? Is there any way to track that pod?”

Allura shook her head. “I didn’t have time to put a tracker on it, and there’s no way to distinguish it from the thousands of other Galra pods in the universe. Unless Pidge has any ideas?”

Pidge frowned. “Allura’s right. Without any way to distinguish the pod, there’s no way we could find it.”

“There IS something unique about that pod,” Keith growled. “It has Lance on it.”

Allura looked at him with pity. Keith hated that.

“Unless he was wearing his armor, which I highly doubt considering the state of this room, there’s no way to track him, Keith.” Allura slumped her shoulders, turning to Shiro. “I’m afraid that I see no possible solution.”

Shiro thought for a moment. “We might not be able to track him, but the Galra DO keep fairly good records of prisoners. Our best bet is probably just to look through whatever records we can get our hands on, following where it leads.” He sighed. “It’s not much, but it’s a chance.”

“Uh, how are we going to form Voltron with Lance gone?” Hunk piped up. The room was silent.

“I could try communicating with the blue lion,” Allura suggested, breaking the silence. “We might be able to bond, and I could take Lance’s place temporarily.”

“You can’t just take someone’s place,” Keith snapped, glaring at the princess.

“Well, it’s a temporary solution,” she replied, a little hurt. “I don’t want to take his place, Keith. There’s simply no way we could fight without Voltron, especially if we’ll be hunting down Galra ships for information.” Keith glanced away angrily, studying the white tile.

“It’s decided then,” Shiro said with a sigh. “Allura, you ought to try bonding with the blue lion as soon as possible. If it’ll take you, then that’ll be our plan. If not…” He trailed off. “Well… let’s just hope it does.” Allura nodded, rushing towards the blue lion’s hangar.

“We also need to start initiating battles with the Galra,” Shiro continued. “Coran, send out a scan to see if there are any Galra ships nearby. Judging by the size of the pod, they probably took him somewhere close.”

“Absolutely,” Coran replied, a bit of his usual vigor absent from his voice. He swept out of the room, leaving Keith with Shiro, Hunk and Pidge.

“What can I do?” Keith asked, turning to Shiro.

“There’s not much else we can do. Rest. Train. We have a lot of battles facing us.” Shiro ran a hand through his hair, sliding it down to the back of his neck. Hunk shifted uneasily.

“We’ll find him,” Hunk said confidently. Silence. His face melted into a worried frown.

“We WILL find him, right?” Hunk repeated. Keith sighed.

“Go to bed, Hunk. We’re going to need our rest.” Keith stepped down the hall and into his room, collapsing onto the bed with a sigh.

Quiznak.


	5. 5

Lance groaned. Something was off. His headphones must have fallen off… and his mask… He groaned again, rolling over. His head was killing him. Slowly he opened his eyes.

Something was wrong.

He frowned, reaching to his face again. Nope, his mask was definitely gone.

“Why is it so dark in here?” he muttered, turning his head from side to side. He felt around himself a little.

This was not his room.

“Quiznak!” he shouted, leaping to his feet. Or, at least trying to. His head hit the roof of the room before he could stand, leaving him dizzy.

“Quiznak,” he muttered again, rubbing the back of his head. Memories rushed to his head, and he frowned. He must be in a Galra prison.

He felt around a bit more. The room was small. Like, really small. He could almost lay completely straight on the ground, but the walls were just a bit too close for him to stretch properly. If he sat up, his hair brushed the ceiling. After a bit more searching, he discovered the wall that must be the door. It had a small slot at the bottom, hopefully for food distribution. He also found a small, round drain in the center of his cell. His nose wrinkled, considering what he was most likely supposed to use it for.

They’d left him in his pajamas. He was actually pretty glad for that, it left him a taste of home.

Home. His mind suddenly turned to the other paladins. What would they think when they found him missing? Would they worry at all? He frowned, trying to imagine their reactions. Shiro might worry a little. He worried about everything. Pidge might care a little. Hunk too. Keith… Lance frowned. Keith would probably be glad. Looking back on it, maybe they’d all be glad. After all, it was one less person to worry about. Lance was obnoxious anyway.

The more he thought about it, the more sure he became. They were most likely celebrating. Finally, Lance was gone; finally, they wouldn’t have to deal with his obnoxious jokes; finally, they wouldn’t have to humor his stupid requests. He sunk his head into his hands, tears slipping down his cheeks.

He was alone.

\---

Allura studied the blue lion in front of her. The shield around it lit the dim room, bathing everything around her in a blue light. Frowning, she took a step forward. She could do this. She NEEDED to do this. Hesitantly, she stretched her hand, lightly touching the glowing surface. A small gasp escaped her lips as the shield disappeared, the lion’s eyes brightening. She smiled.

This might just work after all.


	6. 6

Keith paced back and forth in his bedroom. He hated going out of his room now. It had been 4 quintents since Lance had gone missing. The castle felt… empty. Nobody was themselves. Pidge was glued to a screen at all hours of the day, searching for any scraps of information she could find. Hunk probably took it harder than anyone. He usually sat in the kitchen, not cooking or eating like he used to; just sitting. It was creepy. Shiro was usually training, seeming to take his frustration out through the physical exertion. Keith would usually train with him, but he couldn’t take it anymore.

It was just too quiet.

He sat on his bed, curling himself into a ball.

The silence was deafening. He smirked to himself, amazed that he could actually miss Lance’s obnoxious comments. Lance’s ridiculous jokes. His lame pick-up lines. His stupid laugh.

He felt a tear run down his cheek.

“Quiznak,” he muttered, rubbing the tears from his eyes. What was wrong with him? He didn’t cry, especially not over LANCE of all people. He didn’t even LIKE Lance. Always in the way, whining about one thing or another. He was like a child.

Keith sighed, rolling onto his back.

This room was suffocating. The very walls seemed to be closing in on him.

Keith knew it was his fault Lance was gone. He was the one who let the stupid Galra onto the ship. He was the one who opened the freaking front door, just inviting all their enemies to come aboard. He wanted to scream, throw something, anything.

Instead, he stood up abruptly. He had to get out of that room. Stepping into the hallway, he took a deep breath.

His eyes fell on Lance’s door. He knew the room was empty, but… he felt himself walking towards it. The door slid open, and before he knew it, he was standing in Lance’s room. A sharp pain hit his chest as he looked around the abandoned room. His eyes fell to the pair of headphones lying on the cold floor. Slowly he reached down, scooping them into his hands. Tentatively, he placed them around his ears. Lance’s music was still playing.

Keith sunk to the floor of the room, eyes glazed over. The soft, melodic music flowed through his body, filling every inch of him with warmth. Tears dropped into his lap unheeded as he curled onto the floor.

Keith finally could admit something to himself: He missed Lance.

\---

The door to his cell swung open. Lance cried out, the bright light blinding him. Rough hands pulled him out of the dark cell, dropping him to the hard ground.

The soldiers yanked him to his feet, and he stumbled. His legs felt like jelly. Half escorting him and half carrying him, the soldiers shoved him along the hall.

Lance opened his eyes slowly. It still hurt. On both sides of the hall, he could see cells like his own. Crying and screaming filled the air as they walked by. Lance shuddered, turning away from the desperate sounds.

A door opened in front of them, and the guards threw him in unceremoniously. Lance weakly lifted himself off the ground. His arms shook, and his stomach tightened. One meal a quintent wasn’t much.

“Ah, the blue paladin.” Lance turned to the source of the voice, anger burning in his eyes. Haggar.

“I’ve waited for this moment,” she hissed, stepping behind him.

“Yeah, well, so have I,” Lance growled. He swung a leg behind him, knocking her over in one fell swoop. She grunted, surprised, collapsing to the ground. Lance forced himself to his feet, stumbling to the door. It slid open, and the two guards turned in surprise.

“Grab him!” Haggar shouted, her voice hoarse and sick sounding. Lance swung a fist at the first guard, but his swing was blocked easily. Grunting, he shoved the sentry into the second guard. Stumbling to his feet, he took a single step down the hall. Blackness crept from the edges of his vision, and he slid slowly to the floor.

 _Not now,_ he thought to himself. A single tear slipped from his eye as he curled onto the floor.

Darkness took him once again.


	7. 7

“Keith, look out!” Keith whirled his lion around just in time to blast the Galra ship.

“Thanks, Shiro,” he replied. Focus, Keith. He saw the blue lion blast a ship out of the corner of his eye. Allura was actually really good at this. The sight of the blue lion, on the other hand, hurt more than he wanted to admit. Keith turned away from her, blasting a few more Galra ships.

“How are you doing, Pidge?” Shiro asked, slamming a couple cruisers.

“We’re almost to the main control deck,” Pidge replied. “Once I’m there, I can hack into their system and get whatever prison records they have access to.”

“Great. Keep us updated,” Shiro replied, returning his attention to the battle at hand. Keith frowned, losing himself in the battle. They felt a lot more intense without Lance’s stupid comments. All the excitement was gone, leaving only tense fear and anger behind.

Keith grunted as a Galra ship hit him from behind. Pulling his lion up, he turned quickly to face the Galra. A couple blasts fired from his lion, hitting the ship dead on.

“Alright, I’m at the control room. It looks like this might take a while,” Pidge said, her voice tense.

“How long is a while?” Shiro asked.

“Maybe fifteen dobashes,” Pidge replied.

“You doing ok, Hunk?” Shiro asked.

“Yeah, I’m good. We’ve only met a couple Galra so far. I’ll make sure Pidge is covered.” Keith frowned, noting the strained tone of voice. Hunk was never like this. If Lance was here-

He shook his head, ending that thought abruptly.

Focus.

 Looking to his left, he saw the blue lion barely fighting off a group of fighters. Clenching his jaw, he flew to Allura’s aid.

“Allura, are you ok?” There was no response. Keith frowned. A couple of his blasts took out the Galra ships, and he returned his attention to the blue lion.

“Allura?”

Silence. Keith started to panic. Was she hurt?

“Keith! I’m sorry, I must have turned off my communicator accidentally!” Her voice sounded panicked. He breathed a sigh of relief.

“It’s ok,” he replied, turning his attention back to the battle at hand.

\---

Pain.

Lance screamed, his body writhing on the table. Haggar only smiled, digging her knife deeper into his skin.

“This is what happens when you try to escape,” she hissed, dragging the knife down his chest. Tears fled his clenched eyes, mingling with the blood on his face.

“I’m sorry!” he gasped. “I won’t- it won’t- argh!” He screamed again, the pain shooting up his body. Haggar paused, looking down at him in amusement.

“You’re sorry?” she asked.

“Ye- yes,” Lance sobbed. “I can’t.”

“If you didn’t want this to happen, you wouldn’t have tried to run,” Haggar responded, running a finger delicately along the dripping blade.

Lance didn’t reply, sobs hitching in his throat. Haggar studied him for a moment before handing the knife to a nearby attendant.

“Continue for another varga.” Lance’s sobbing and pleading increased in volume. “When you’ve finished, return him to his cell.” She swept out of the room. Lance looked up at the Galra above him, blood tainting his vision.

“Please,” he whispered. The soldier ignored him, raking the knife along his rib. Lance screamed, his voice echoing through the room.

Nobody answered.


	8. 8

Allura dodged a nearby Galra ship, blasting it behind her. Tears dropped into her lap.

“I don’t want to do this, Lance,” she whispered shakily. Another Galra shot at her, and she slammed it out of her way. She listened to her teammates through her comm. She’d turned off her mic when the tears started falling, trying to spare them the worry.

Everything felt wrong. This was Lance’s lion, and she felt so… guilty. Like she had already given up on him. Turning, she used the ice-ray to freeze a row of Galra crafts, punching through them to break them into pieces.

She paused for a moment, wiping the tears from her cheeks. There was no time for this, no matter how much it hurt. Collecting herself, she threw herself back into the fight.

\---

“I’m in!” Pidge exclaimed. Keith smiled to himself. They might have a chance.

“There are a lot more Galra here,” Hunk added, his breathing labored. “I don’t know how we’re going to get back to our lions.”

Keith pressed his lips together, weighing his options.

“I’ll go in and help you guys out,” he said, his voice firm.

“Absolutely not,” Shiro retorted.

“They won’t be able to get out without extra help!” Keith argued, frustrated. Shiro didn’t reply, seeming to consider his options.

“Pidge, how’s the progress?” Shiro asked.

“I just downloaded everything onto my drive. We’re good to go,” she paused. “There are a lot of Galra here, Shiro.”

Shiro hesitated, thinking.

“Shiro. Let me go,” Keith demanded.

“Keith… I really don’t like this idea. There’s too much risk. I… I could lose you, too.” Shiro’s voice broke. Keith’s eyes widened.

“Shiro, I-”

“No, no, you’re right,” Shiro interrupted, composing himself. “This is the best plan we have. Go help them.”

Keith pressed his lips together. “Ok,” he replied, turning his lion towards the ship.

He landed his lion in the same bay Hunk and Pidge had used; surprised to find it empty. After dashing through a few empty hallways, he found his way to the main control room. Galra soldiers were everywhere, their attention completely focused on Hunk and Pidge.

Keith dashed forward, taking out a few with one sweep of his bayard. Distracted by Hunk and Pidge, the Galra rarely saw him coming. He danced among their ranks, forging a path towards his teammates. Hunk and Pidge had made a decent amount of headway, and Keith darted towards them.

“Let’s go!” he shouted, waving his arm towards them. They slowly made their way towards him, working through the Galra ranks. Keith helped them out, killing a few with his bayard. Soon Hunk and Pidge were next to him, and they slowly made their way through the path Keith had already cleared.

“Oof,” Pidge grunted, doubling over.

“She’s been hit!” Hunk hollered back to Lance, leaning over Pidge protectively. Keith frowned, keeping the Galra off their backs the best he could. Hunk scooped Pidge into his arms, shooting at the soldiers with his free hand. Slowly they continued their progress, eventually breaking free from the Galra ranks.

They dashed through the empty halls, soon arriving at their lions’ feet.

“How’re we going to get the green lion out?” Hunk asked, panicked.

“I can drive it!” Pidge grunted through clenched teeth. Keith glanced at her wound. She’d taken a laser to her ribs.

“I don’t think so,” he replied, thinking quickly. “Hunk, you’re going to have to pick up the green lion with your lion. It’s the strongest, and hers is the smallest, so it’s the best fit. I’ll take Pidge with me, we need to get her back to the healing pods as soon as possible.” Hunk nodded, shifting Pidge into Keith’s arms.

“Shiro, Allura, I’m going to need a lot of cover,” Keith transmitted.

“No problem, Keith,” Shiro replied.

Keith shifted Pidge’s weight in his arms, sprinting to his lion. The Galra soldiers were starting to fill the hangar, laser shots falling all around him. He clenched his jaw, leaping aboard his lion before any lasers could hit him. He gently laid Pidge on the ground behind his seat, then swung himself into his chair. He piloted the lion out of the hangar, Shiro and Allura keeping Galra ships off them. Hunk emerged just behind him, the green lion in his grasp.

Keith did one last check to be sure everyone was accounted for before shifting into a faster speed. His lion was the fastest, and Pidge needed a pod.

The castle loomed in the distance, and Keith landed his lion in his hangar. Scooping Pidge into his arms, he dashed through the castle to the healing pods. Pausing, he patted her pockets until he found the drive of information. He gently lifted her into the pod, the door closing in front of him. Checking her vitals, he smiled tiredly. She was going to be ok.


	9. 9

Lance quivered in his cell. Everything hurt.

Blood pooled around him, running down the small drain. Maybe he hadn’t known what it was for after all.

His eyes darted around the room, searching for a light that didn’t exist. The walls closed around him, suffocating him, strangling him. He let out a small whimper, squeezing his eyes shut.

He curled into a ball, ignoring the pain shooting from his wounds.

“They’ll come for me,” he whispered to himself. “They’ll come for me. They’ll come for me.” He shook in the darkness, eyes searching for a light that never came.

\---

Keith studied the information in front of him. Pidge’s drive didn’t make any sense to him, and he frowned in frustration.

The door slid open behind him, and the rest of the team filtered in. Keith glanced back, his eyes catching on Allura’s face. Had she been… crying?

“Great job today, team,” Shiro said tiredly. Hunk slumped into a chair, staring blankly forward.

“This is the information Pidge found,” Keith informed them, gesturing to the screen. “I don’t understand it at all.”

Allura frowned. “We ought to wait for Pidge to decipher the information,” she suggested, glancing down. Keith nodded, turning to Shiro. Shiro, however, was frowning, oblivious to Keith’s stare. Keith followed his gaze, eyes landing on Allura’s tear-stained cheeks. Keith coughed a little, jerking Shiro out of his reverie.

“Uh, right,” Shiro said, snapping to attention. “You all need your rest. Everyone, I suggest you turn in for the night.” They nodded wearily, heading off to their rooms.

\---

Keith laid on Lance’s bed, Lance’s headphones pouring music into his ears. He’d found that one sweatshirt that Lance always liked to wear, the green one with the gray hood. Clutching it to his face, he breathed in Lance’s familiar smell.

This was the only way that Keith had managed to fall asleep. Some nights it didn’t work, but the small chance for relief was worth the effort. His own room felt… empty, and cold. Although, if he was being honest with himself, the whole castle felt that way. Gone was the lighthearted nature, the fun and adventure.

It hadn’t really hit Keith until now just how dangerous this was. They weren’t just flying around space and discovering planets; they were risking their lives. It was a miracle nobody had died, considering the fight they were in. In fact, Lance could be dead right now.

He sat up quickly, trying to distract himself. No. He wouldn’t think that way. Lance was out there; alone, hurt, and scared. Voltron had to find him. Keith had to find him.

Groaning, Keith buried his face in Lance’s jacket. He wished Lance was here. He wished the castle was warm again, and alive. He wished he didn’t feel so… alone.

This thought surprised him. Keith had always been alone. Why was he suddenly feeling connections to people he didn’t even know that well? Lance didn’t know a thing about him, and he certainly didn’t know anything about Lance. He only knew his laugh, and his smile. The bright gleam he’d get in his eye whenever he shot some insult. The crystal eyes that seemed to pierce him any time they looked his way.

A gentle sob escaped his lips. Lance would give up his life for each and every one of them; Keith knew that. Who was he to hate Lance for leaving him here alone?

Keith immediately tried to brush the unwelcome thought away. He didn’t hate Lance, no matter how lonely he felt. If he hated anyone, it was himself. It was his fault Lance was missing. Guilt racked his body, and another sob escaped his clenched jaw. Tears streamed onto Lance’s pillow as Keith mourned. Clutching Lance’s jacket closer to his chest, he made a silent vow.

If—No, WHEN they got Lance back, Keith would take him home. Keith would take him back to the planet he loved and let him enjoy it. Keith would bring him back to his family. He’d take him outside in the rain, letting the water run over their faces. He’d take him to the beach, the forest, the desert, anywhere Lance wanted to go.

“I’m going to make him smile again,” Keith whispered to himself, resolute in the silent promise. Finally at peace, he drifted off into a gentle sleep.


	10. 10

Weeks passed. Pidge’s information hadn’t given them any clues. In fact, none of the Galra ships that they managed to intercept had had any information about Lance. Keith could feel the team giving up, the spark of hope growing dimmer and dimmer with every day that passed. Hunk had lost weight, having lost most motivation to cook or eat. Although Pidge had healed well, Keith hadn’t seen her in days, and he heard Shiro sobbing late at nights. Allura spent a lot of time crying as well, trying to cover up her tear-stained cheeks for the team. Coran was surprisingly distant, spending a lot of time staring into space (A/N lol no pun intended). Keith hadn’t realized that Coran and Lance were even that close.

There was one good thing that happened, though. Shiro and Allura had been spending more time alone together, comforting one another. Keith pretended not to notice, but he couldn’t help but be glad for them. Shiro deserved someone he could love like that.

Keith was snapped out of his thoughts as the castle alarms started ringing.

“Paladins, the castle is under attack! Get to your lions!” Allura’s voice rang through the castle halls. Keith immediately ran to put his armor on.

 _This better not be a drill_ , he thought, a strange sense of déjà vu washing over him.

Flying his lion out of his hangar, he immediately stopped.

Three enormous Galra ships surrounded the castle, ion canons fully charged. The other lions trickled out of the castle, the yellow lion being the last to arrive.

“Hunk, you try to knock out some of those canons. I’ll try to help you out the best I can,” Shiro shouted, forcing himself into battle-mode. “Keith, Pidge, and La-Allura,” he stammered, correcting his error. Keith felt his heart twist. “I need you three to destroy as many of those Galra pods as you can. Once the ion canons are destroyed, we can form Voltron and take out the main ships.”

Keith threw himself into the battle, every destroyed Galra ship blurring before his eyes. After what felt like ages, he heard Shiro’s voice through the coms.

“We destroyed the ion canons, everybody get over here so we can form Voltron.” Keith immediately turned his lion away from the smaller Galra ships, flying to Shiro’s side. The other lions appeared shortly after, and they flew in formation.

Nothing happened.

A sickening feeling filled his stomach.

\---

Lance flinched as his cell door opened. He kept his eyes closed, curling himself into an even smaller ball. Rough hands gripped his skeletal arms, and the Galra guards dragged him out of the cell. He couldn’t find the strength to stand, let alone walk. He let his feet drag behind him, the Galra guards holding him up on either side. Streaks of blood smeared the floor, dripping from his innumerable wounds. The darkness crept at the edges of his vision, and he ignored it the best he could.

He knew where they were taking him. It was the same route they took every day.

The Galra turned right.

Lance looked up in confusion. They had never been down this corridor. Too weak to think about it any harder, he let the darkness take over.

\---

“-good for him to die.”

Lance groaned, squeezing his eyes shut. The voices filtered through his ears, and he furrowed his brow.

_They want to kill me?_

“Paladin.” The voice was sharp. Lance forced his eyes to open. He had been thrown to the ground, and he weakly tried to sit himself up. Giving up, he simply rolled onto his side, looking up to find the source of the sound.

A tall figure stood before him. He was obviously Galra, judging by the purple skin, but something was… off.

“Paladin, I am Prince Lotor. The witch, Haggar, has tormented you long enough, and I’m here to help.”

Lance only stared at him blankly. This had to be a trick. The Galra—Lotor—swam before his eyes.

“What do you want from me,” Lance whispered, barely able to hear himself. Lotor smiled.

“I already told you, Lance.” Lance started in surprise at the sound of his name. “I’m here to help you.”

Lance couldn’t understand what the prince meant. What kind of torture did he mean? Galra didn’t help. Galra only killed and hurt. Although, this prince didn’t seem to be entirely Galra. Perhaps he was a cross of something else as well?

Lotor sighed, squatting down to see Lance better.

“Lance, you’re hurt. We’re going to get you a healing pod and fix you up. After all, you’re rather valuable. It wouldn’t do me or anyone else any good for you to die.”

Lance’s eyes filled with tears. He didn’t know who this man was, but even the possibility of removing the pain was enough to fill him with hope.

Nodding, he looked back up to Lotor, tears in his eyes. Lotor smiled, turning to a guard.

“Find me a healing pod and bring it to this room,” he ordered. Lance felt himself slipping into the blackness again. Before it could take him, he took another look at Lotor’s face.

Altean.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Haha lance is really good at identifying species while succumbing to unconsciousness


	11. 11

“Why isn’t it working?!” Pidge yelled, panic evident in her voice.

“Guys, I have a bunch of Galra ships following me. If we can’t form Voltron soon, I’m not sure how this will end up.” Hunk sounded worried. It was more emotion than Keith had heard from him in a while.

“Paladins, what’s happening out there? Where’s Voltron?” Coran’s voice sounded frantic.

“Coran, it’s not working!” Shiro replied.

“There must be a weak link of some kind! You all need to deepen your bonds with your lions, reaching out to one another through them.”

“Good idea, Coran,” Shiro said, his voice tinted with relief. “Guys, please, we need to focus on bonding. Reach out to one another.”

Keith focused, reaching out to his lion. Without warning, he felt himself whirling through space.

He found himself huddled in the blue lion, tears dripping down his face. Sobs shook him to his core.

Whirling again, and he found himself falling, landing on a cold linoleum floor. He looked up to see a Galra man smiling down at him.

Whirling, and he was staring at a command screen, watching as another ion canon was fired.

Whirling, and he was suddenly back in his lion.

Keith gasped, panting for breath.

“D-Did anyone else see that?” he asked, his voice shaking.

“See what, Keith?” Shiro asked. Keith sat a moment, processing what just happened.

“Allura! Allura, listen to me!” Keith called out. “It’s ok! It’s not your fault Lance is gone. Blue needs you to focus here and now. Lance wouldn’t want this.” A moment passed.

“K-Keith.” Allura’s voice shook. “I c-can’t do th-this.”

“You can, Allura,” Shiro said, joining the conversation. “You are so strong and capable. Every time you walk through the door the entire room gets brighter. You never seem to run out of love, even when you’re hurting. I know that you have that love inside you right now. It’s up to you to let it out, Allura.”

Faint hiccups could be heard from her line. Slowly, they disappeared, morphing into deep breaths.

Keith felt a jolt. Looking down, his eyes widened as blue light poured from the controls. Soon he was surrounded in it. Looking at the other lions surrounding him, he could see that they were beaming as well. Galra ships hesitated, confused by the change. Suddenly, the blue lion shot into the sky. Without any prompting, his lion followed, joined by the others. Shooting into the sky, they transformed into Voltron. However, something was different.

The black lion was… a leg.

Keith rubbed his eyes, looking around him once again. He couldn’t believe what he was seeing. The blue lion had formed the _head_ of Voltron. Shiro’s lion was underneath him, taking Allura’s usual place. They continued to glow a brilliant blue, illuminating the Galra ships.

“Did… Did anyone know it could do that?” he finally asked.

“No,” Pidge breathed, in awe.

“Paladins. I know what we need to do.” Allura’s voice was strong and firm, radiating with power and love. Keith was amazed at the sudden change.

“I know a way to find Lance.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If I hadn’t hurt Hunk so bad I would have added something about how HE COULD HAVE BEEN THE HEAD ALL ALONG


	12. 12

Lance woke with a start, falling to the cold ground. He tried lifting himself off the ground, but found his arms were still too weak. Apparently healing pods don’t make you any stronger. Lifting his neck into an uncomfortable position, he looked up to find the Galran prince standing above him. Lotor.

“Welcome back, Lance,” the prince said with a small smile.

“How… how long was I in th-there?” Lance croaked. His tongue kept tripping over itself; most likely from being neglected for so long.

“Only a couple vargas. We’ve made improvements to the original Altean design. Healing is much faster with these pods than the ones I’m sure you’re used to.” The prince crouched down to face Lance. “I’m sure you’re feeling much better already, but I think you still need a few things. Starting with some actual clothing…” he trailed off, studying Lance’s torn and bloodstained pajamas. Lance frowned to himself.

“I… I don’t-”

“After that, we can get some food in your system. Give you a real bed, let you rest. If you’re especially good, I’ll give you a little treat later.” Lance looked up in confusion. That sounded… dangerous.

“T-Treat?” he asked.

“Yes, but it’s a surprise. Don’t even think of trying to get it out of me, I won’t tell you.” Lance felt alarms sounding in his mind. Who knew if this Galran prince could be trusted?

“I’ve assigned three of my personal attendants to you, so don’t hesitate to ask for anything,” the prince continued. “They’re going to bathe you, dress you, feed you, and then you’ll have some time to rest. Remember to be good, Lance. You won’t regret it.” He gave Lance a small smirk, and then brushed out of the room.

The three attendants entered the room. Lance flinched subconsciously as one attendant reached for him. Carrying him like a child, the Galra brought him to a large room. A steaming tub of water took up the majority of the room, bubbles rising to the sparkling surface.

The attendants began to undress him.

“H-Hey.” Lance weakly resisted but had no strength to truly stop them. They lowered him into the bath, applying soaps and products to his hair and skin. He let them work, too weak to resist even if he wanted to. One attendant kept their hands on his head, making sure his face never slipped under the water. He flinched as the attendants touched his skin, memories blurring at the edge of his vision.

Shifting his head slightly in the Galra’s grip, Lance looked down at his bare chest. His ribs rose from his skin, every bone clearly defined. Scars riddled every inch; marring his once perfect complexion. He turned his face away, bile rising in his throat.

The Galra finally lifted him out of the warm water, satisfied with their work. They helped him into a silky, purple robe. Lance was surprised, the material felt expensive. He was a bit uncomfortable; they hadn’t given him any underclothes or anything.

Lifting him again, they carried him to an entirely new room. A large bed took up a huge part of the room, fluffy pillows thrown invitingly. The attendants laid him in the bed, and he sunk into the soft material. His eyes closed almost immediately, the soft mattress almost impossible to resist. Before he could sleep, however, he felt a gentle touch at his lips. Opening his eyes weakly, he looked down to see a spoonful of some purple substance pressed to his lips.

He let the attendants push the spoon into his mouth. The texture of the food was a lot like the goo in the castle, but it tasted SO much better.

Lance managed to swallow three spoonful’s before he started to feel sick. Waving the attendants away, he sunk into the pillows with a sigh. His mind drifted immediately into sleep, and he let it overtake him.


	13. 13

“I know a way to find Lance,” Allura said, her voice echoing with power. “Before we can find him, we need to destroy these ships. Keith, form sword!”

Keith twisted his bayard in the appropriate slot, a long sword appearing. It glowed the same blue as the rest of Voltron, radiating power.

They made quick work of the Galra ships, the sword seeming even more powerful than usual. The ion canons hit them a few times, but Keith didn’t even feel remotely drained. It must have something to do with the blue light that Allura made.

Soon, they were hovering in space, any remaining Galra ships having fled.

“That was amazing, Allura,” Shiro said, his voice full of pride.

“You’re not jealous that Allura took your spot, Shiro?” Pidge asked, a playful ring to her voice. Keith smiled, happy to hear the old Pidge again.

“Of course not,” Shiro replied. “That’s what the lions knew we needed, and without her we wouldn’t have made it through.”

“Thank you, Shiro.” Allura’s voice was still overwhelmingly powerful.

“You said you knew how to find Lance,” Keith prompted.

“Lance isn’t alive.” Hunk’s voice shook. Keith’s eyes widened in surprise.

“Wh-What?” he asked, betrayal lacing his voice.

“Lance is dead!” Hunk shouted. “If he were alive, we would have found him by now. The Galra probably killed him weeks ago.” His voice shook, small sniffling sounds filling the silence. Keith couldn’t believe what he was hearing.

“Hunk, Lance isn’t dead! I-” Keith was struck with a sudden realization. “I-I saw him.”

“You saw him?!” Shiro exclaimed, his voice radiating with disbelief.

“Yeah, I… I had a vision. When we were trying to bond with our lions. The Galra have him, I’m sure of it.”

“That’s really good to hear, Keith,” Shiro breathed. Hunk was silent.

“Paladins, I know how to find him,” Allura repeated. “However, I’ll need your help. This may leave us vulnerable and temporarily incapacitated.”

“Incapacitated? Maybe we ought to do this in the castle. We wouldn’t be as exposed.” Shiro sounded worried.

“No.” Allura’s voice rung in Keith’s ears, aching just a little. “We have to do it now, while I still have control over this power. I’m not sure how much longer I can keep it up.”

“We’ll do it,” Keith said, speaking for the rest of the group. No argument was offered.

“I need you all to concentrate. Channel your energies into your lions.” Keith obliged, shutting his eyes tightly. They remained like that a moment, surrounded in silence.

Keith gasped as his energy suddenly disappeared. It felt like it had been brutally ripped out of his body, and he was struck with a sudden deep exhaustion. He blearily noticed Red shutting down around him before he sunk into unconsciousness.

\---

Gasping, Lance shot up in bed. He could feel the blankets and soft mattress around him, but his eyes weren’t showing him the Galran bedroom.

Instead, he could see Allura hovering above him. Her eyes were closed, and her entire being glowed an ethereal blue. Stars surrounded them, twinkling gently.

“Allura!” he called out. Her eyes flew open, and he gasped in shock. They glowed a brilliant blue, seeming to pierce his very soul with their brilliance.

Suddenly the vision disappeared, and he found himself in the Galran bedroom again. He panted, trying to process what had happened.

Was Allura trying to find him? Is that what the vision meant? Why was she glowing so much?

Caught up in his thoughts, he didn’t notice Lotor enter the room.

“Lance, I’m surprised to see you awake,” Lotor drawled. Lance jumped, whirling around to face the Galran prince.

“I… I’m not very t-tired,” Lance finally whispered, avoiding eye contact. He was surprised to realize that he meant every word. He had been absolutely drained merely minutes ago, but now he felt almost energized.

Lotor cocked an eyebrow, studying Lance curiously. 

“That’s odd. Perhaps this is a symptom of your species. Do humans usually sleep for short amounts of time?” Lance only nodded, not willing to discuss the matter any longer.

“Extraordinary,” Lotor mused, pursing his lips. “Well, I came here for a reason. My attendants say that you were especially good for them earlier.” He grinned cockily. “That means you’ve earned your treat.” Lance shriveled into himself, frightened of the connotations. He looked down at his lap, refusing to meet Lotor’s eyes.

“For your treat, I’m going to allow you to communicate with your friends. Voltron.” Lance shot up immediately, staring at Lotor with wide eyes.

“Y-You mean… Talk to them?”

“Certainly,” Lotor said with a grin. “I’m sure you miss them terribly.” Lance was having a hard time understanding. Talk to the team? That… That was too much to hope for.

“Did… Did A-Allura contact you?” he finally asked.

Lotor studied Lance for a moment before replying.

“Yes, she did. How did you know about that?” He seemed concerned.

“I just… h-had a feeling,” Lance replied.

“Well, we have a connection already open, so if you’re feeling up to it…” He trailed off, studying the paladin.

“I’m ready,” Lance answered. For the first time in a long time, a spark of hope lit in his eyes.


	14. 14

Lotor led Lance into a large room, screens surrounding them. There was a surprising lack of Galra officers, considering how much the place looked like a control room.

“I thought that you might enjoy having this conversation privately, so I’ve asked the guards and attendants to wait in the corridor,” Lotor said, practically reading Lance’s mind. Lance only nodded.

“Go ahead and take a seat here, I’ll pull up the transmission,” Lotor said, gesturing to a single chair in the middle of the floor. Lance took a seat, preparing himself to reunite with his team. He wondered what they must think, finally hearing from him after so long. Had they been looking for him? Were they worried? Lance shook the thoughts away. It didn’t matter now. He could talk to them, and maybe Pidge would even be able to track his location. It felt too good to be true.

The screen in front of him lit up, and Allura’s face appeared on the screen.

“Oh, Lance! Hello!”

“Allura! It’s s-so good to s-see you.” Tears filled his eyes as he gazed up at her.

“Yes, it’s wonderful to see you as well.”

There was a moment of awkward silence. This… hadn’t been how Lance imagined their reunion to go.

“Uh, where’s everyone e-else?” he asked, trying to peer behind her into the castle.

“Ah, I’m sure they’re around here somewhere. Let me see if any of them want to talk to you.” She stepped out of Lance’s view. He frowned to himself. Somehow, he’d expected them to be more… excited.

Listening closely, he could hear muffled voices. It sounded like arguing.

Finally Allura reappeared, the rest of the team trailing behind. They seemed a bit angry to be there. Lance put the thought out of his mind, relishing in the reunion.

“Guys! I-I missed you all s-so much,” Lance exclaimed, grinning widely.

“Uh, yeah. It’s been a while now I suppose,” Shiro said, turning to Keith. “How long has it been?” Keith only shrugged.

“Don’t ask me. I don’t keep track of dumb things like that.” Lance felt a twist in his heart.

“It’s been about 42 quintents,” Pidge said, pushing up her glasses.

“Of course you would know that,” Hunk said, laughing.

“Well SOMEONE has to be responsible for all you losers,” Pidge replied, grinning.

Feeling slightly out of place, Lance tried to join the conversation again.

“So what’s the p-plan now? Are you going to… you know… come and g-get me?”

The team stared at him blankly.

“Oh, he doesn’t know!” Coran finally said, chuckling. “Terribly sorry Lance, we forgot to fill you in. We have a new blue paladin now, so we won’t need your help.”

Lance froze, a fake smile still plastered to his face.

“Oh yes, where did he get off to?” Allura asked.

“Kord?” Hunk called down the hall. “There’s someone here you can meet. He was the old blue paladin.”

“Yeah?” A voice sounded from the hall. “I’d love to meet the guy that kept Blue warm for me.” A man sauntered into the room, arms swinging by his sides casually. His blond hair strongly contrasted his tan skin, setting off his steely grey eyes. He wore the blue paladin armor, somehow filling it out more than Lance ever had.

“Nice to meet you,” he grinned, looking at Lance cockily.

Lance was breaking. How hadn’t he seen this coming? Did he really expect them to break into a Galran prison just to pull him out? He was just a seat-warmer; a fill-in. It’s not like he had any unique skills to offer the team.

Tears were streaming down his still-frozen face.

“Hello?” Kord frowned at Lance’s face.

“What’s wrong with him?” he asked, turning to the others. Keith rolled his eyes, shooting a glare at Lance.

“He’s always been like this. Nothing but a drama queen,” Keith spat. Lance’s head spun. His smile was cracking.

“I… I thought…”

“What? What did you think, Lance?” A fire burned in Keith’s eyes. “Did you think we’d waste time and resources trying to find you? Trying to ‘rescue’ you? In case you haven’t noticed, we’re in a war. There are more important things to the universe than face masks and pick-up lines. Honestly, I don’t know why we even bothered keeping you here in the first place. Kord has only been here for 41 quintents, and he already knows three times as much as you ever will!” Keith’s face was red, words dripping like poison off of his lips.

“Are you really that surprised that we don’t want you here?  All you did was drag us down! That’s all you ever did! We are SO much better off now! And don’t think for a moment that I haven’t caught on to your pathetic game. Stuttering, Lance? Really? If you’re going to pretend to be hurt, at least do something original. You’re a quiznaking disgrace.”

Kord laid a gentle hand on Keith’s arm, stopping the flow of hateful words.

“Keith, it’s fine. Calm down.” Kord gazed into Keith’s eyes tenderly. Keith took a deep breath.

“You’re right, I got out of hand.” He reached out to Kord’s hand, and they held each other for a moment.

Lance’s smile was quivering, a barrage of tears flowing freely down his cheeks. His heart felt like it just might implode, and he clutched his chest desperately.

“We’re sorry Lance, but there’s just no need for you here anymore,” Allura said, turning to the screen. “I’m sure you understand.”

“Y-y-yeah,” he barely forced out. His world was crumbling.

“Great!” Allura said cheerfully. “Well, I’m glad we caught up. We’ll see you around, alright?”

Lance took a final glance at the screen, trying to burn the sight into his memory.

He nodded slowly, not trusting himself to speak.

The transmission ended, and he was left alone.

Truly and completely alone.


	15. 15

Keith groaned, clenching his teeth. His head was killing him, and he slowly sat himself up. Red was still in emergency power, floating through space.

“Guys?” he called out. “Anyone there?” He heard faint groaning from his other teammates.

“What… What happened?” Hunk finally said groggily.

“We found Lance; that’s what happened,” Allura said. Keith could actually hear her smiling.

“You found him?!” Keith shouted, jumping to his feet.

“That’s amazing, Allura!” Pidge joined.

“Where is he?” Shiro asked excitedly.

“That’s the bad news,” she said with a sigh. “He’s in the highest security prison in the Galran empire. They only send either very valuable or very dangerous prisoners there. It’s impossible to break into, or out of for that matter.”

“What kind of things do they do to their prisoners? Is it the same as Shiro?” Pidge asked worriedly.

“No, it’s not the same as Shiro’s experience.” Keith breathed a sigh of relief. Allura, however, wasn’t finished.

“It’s often much worse.”

The words hit him like a punch to the face. Shiro had been traumatized enough, and he hadn’t even been in a high-security prison! What sort of things had they done to Lance?

He felt his anger boiling over. If Lance had been hurt, there would be nothing stopping him from killing every last Galra in the universe.

“What do they do to their prisoners?” he growled.

“Um, well, it really depends,” Allura said nervously. “It’s often different for every prisoner. I’ve heard reports of starving, torture, rape, all kinds of evil things. There’s really no telling what they’ve done to him.”

Keith felt blood rushing through his ears, and his hands shook with anger.

“Keith, we really need to focus,” Shiro said. Of course he knew what was happening. “Getting angry won’t help anyone, especially not Lance. We need to come up with a plan to get him out of there.”

Keith took a deep breath, trying to calm himself down. Shiro was right. They needed to focus.

“What’s the plan, Shiro?” he asked, breathing in and out slowly.

“I’m not sure yet… I’ll need more information about the prison. Allura, how are we going to get back to the castle? All our lions are drained.”

“We’ll just have to wait here for a varga or two. Our lions will charge up eventually.”

“Alright. In the meantime, let’s start planning. Allura, tell me everything you know about this prison.”

“Gladly.”


	16. 16

Lance remained frozen in his seat, staring blankly forward. The tears had stopped falling, but he hadn’t moved an inch.

Of course they didn’t need him. Of course they found a new paladin. Why would they spend time looking for him? He was useless. Unlovable. Stupid. Gullible. Obnoxious.

He dug his nails into his arms, drawing blood.

“Lance.”

He turned, looking up to the source of the voice. Lotor.

“I’m so sorry about what happened,” the prince said, laying a gentle hand on his shoulder. Lance flinched at the touch.

“C-Can I go home?” Lance whispered, staring at the floor blankly.

“Home? Weren’t you listening to what the paladins were saying? I doubt you’d be welcome—”

“No. I w-want to go home,” Lance said, clenching his fists. “To Earth.” The prince paused, surprised.

“I… I don’t think that’s a good idea. You are still a prisoner, albeit a prisoner with benefits.” He paused a moment, seeming to consider his options. “Do you have people on Earth that you care about?”

“Yes,” Lance whispered. “My f-family.”

“Well… we could potentially arrange for a communication line to be set up.” Lance shot up in his seat.

“You can d-do that?”

“Possibly. Let me consult with some of my technicians.” He strolled out of the room, leaving Lance alone.

All he wanted at that moment was his mama. He wanted to collapse into her arms, letting her stroke his hair and sing gentle Spanish lullabies. He wanted to fall asleep on their worn-out couch, curled up in the old musty blanket that they kept in the basement. He wanted to hold his siblings tightly, messing up their hair and wrestling playfully. He just wanted to go home.

“Lance, we found a way to communicate with your family.”

Lance shot up in his chair. “You did?”

“Yes, but I’m not sure it’s a good idea. There’s no guarantee that your family will even be there,” Lotor said worriedly.

“I w-want to see them,” Lance said, his mind made up.

“Alright,” Lotor sighed, giving in. “I’ll get it set up for you.”

Lance shifted in his seat, staring at the screen with anticipation. He needed his family. He needed them right now.

His living room appeared on the screen in front of him. A man was laying on the couch with his back towards Lance, obviously asleep. Empty bottles of beer littered the floor, and his heavy snores filled the room.

“H-Hello?” Lance called. The man grunted, rolling over. Lance caught a look at his face and gasped.

It was his papa.

“Papa, wake up!” he shouted. His dad groaned, slowly sitting up.

“What the hell?” he muttered, his eyes bloodshot.

“Papa! It’s me! Lance!”

His father only stared at him blearily.

“Lance?”

“Yeah, Lance! Where’s everyone else?” Lance asked excitedly.

“You—What the hell? Where the hell have you been?” He seemed angry.

“I’m really sorry, Papa, I kind of got recruited to be an astronaut? K-Kind of? I’ve been in space, Papa.”

His father only stared at him angrily.

“What kind of excuse is that? You’ve been in _space_? You didn’t ever think to call home to let us know where you were going? What the hell, Lance?! You can’t just call us months later, not even bothering to come in person. Do you have any idea what you’ve done?”

Lance’s smile faltered. “I-I know I’ve been gone, and I’m s-sorry I could never call home. It’s a little hard to explain.”

“Hard to explain?!” His father was yelling now. “You wanna know what’s hard to explain? It’s hard to explain to my kids that their big brother isn’t coming home. It’s hard to explain to my wife that her oldest son might be dead out there. It’s hard to explain to the funeral services that there is no body, because even we don’t know where the hell our son is!” He was crying, hot tears streaming down his face. Lance shriveled before his wrath.

“Here’s something that’s hard to explain, Lance. Your mother is dead.” His voice broke on the last word. “She’s dead because she couldn’t stop blaming herself. She’s dead because her oldest son disappeared off the face of the earth, not seeming to care what would happen to us. She’s dead because the heartbroken sobs of her children kept her from falling asleep at night. She’s dead because the screams in her head were just too loud, and the medicine couldn’t make them disappear. She’s dead because of you, Lance.” His father was full-on sobbing now, clutching his head in his hands. Lance only stared in shock, tears flowing freely once again.

“Fuck you, Lance,” his dad screamed. “You killed your own mother! You ruined my fucking life! You’re no son of mine, and I wish you were de—.”

The screen suddenly went black.

“I couldn’t let that go on any longer,” Lotor said, his hand hovering above the controls.

Lance was shaking again. Why had he thought it would be a good idea to talk to his family? Of course that’s how they felt. And his mama…

He shook harder, doubling over in pain. Sliding to the floor, he wrapped his arms around his knees, sobbing.

His mama was dead.

It was all his fault.

There would be no welcoming hugs when he returned home; no delicious smells wafting through the air. No drifting laughter, no playful teasing. He wasn’t welcome there.

The thought pierced him to his core, painful tears streaming from his eyes and gasping sobs racking his body.

He was alone. REALLY alone; even more than he had been before.

He had no home. He had no family. He had nobody to be there for him.

What was the point of it all?


	17. 17

“Ok team, here’s the plan.” Shiro stood in front of the other paladins, a holographic depiction of the Galran prison in front of him. “Allura can disguise herself as a Galran soldier. Not well, but enough to pass initial inspection. If she has armor on, it’s almost impossible to recognize her as an intruder. Allura will disguise herself, and Pidge will drop her off in the prison using the green lion. Allura, you’ll need to start searching for Lance as soon as you can. Stay undercover for as long as possible so that we can get enough information to form a rescue plan. If you find him, don’t blow your cover until absolutely necessary. We need to gather as much information as we can. Do you think you can do that?” He turned to Allura, his eyes sparking with determination.

“Yes,” she replied, nodding firmly. “We need to get Lance out of there. If disguising myself as a Galran soldier is what it takes, then so be it.”

“Good.” Shiro hesitated a moment, his eyes lingering on her face. They seemed to communicate silently, trading fears and reassurances back and forth.

“Shiro, when does Allura need to leave?” Keith interrupted the moment, bringing their attention back to the issue at hand.

Turning to face Keith, Shiro set his mouth into a hard line.

“Now.”

\---

Allura squirmed uncomfortably. They’d managed to find a Galran uniform for her to fit into, but she hated the feeling of the hard metal against her skin.

“Ok Allura, I’m going to drop you off here.” Pidge landed the lion on the underside of the Galran prison. Drawing her bayard, Pidge started cutting through the prison wall. For such a high security place, it wasn’t especially hard to cut through the metal siding.

Slipping through the opening silently, Allura studied her surroundings. She was in a typical Galran corridor, purple light illuminating her way. She knew how Galran ships were usually organized, so this one would most likely be no different.

Starting off in a random direction, she came across walls of cells. Prisoners screamed and cried, the echoing sounds sending shivers down her spine. The cells were exceptionally small; much smaller than any she had ever seen. They must have been singular cells; only holding one prisoner at a time.

She shook her head angrily. That much time alone could cause all manner of mental instability. No wonder prisoners never escaped this place.

She slowed her pace, hesitating for a moment outside every cell. Her ears perked up at the sounds, trying to recognize Lance’s voice in them. Some cells were silent, and she could only hope that he wasn’t in any of those. She didn’t dare open any food hatches or call for Lance; it would be far too suspicious.

“Lieutenant, what are you doing here?”

Allura whirled around, coming face-to-face with a Galran man. He seemed… different, somehow, from the other Galra. His ears… they almost looked—

“Lieutenant? I would prefer not to have to repeat myself.”

Allura shook herself out of her thoughts. “Um, sorry sir. I was just… flustered.”

The Galran man grinned. “Flustered by my presence, no doubt. It’s understandable. I’ve distracted far too many bodyguards in my time. Why do you think my father taught me to fight?” He chuckled, and Allura joined him uncomfortably. This guy was really full of himself.

“No matter. Lieutenant, I need you to follow me for a moment. Terribly sorry to interrupt whatever it was you were doing here, but I need someone to stand guard outside my prisoner’s room for a varga. We have something more… private to discuss.”

Allura’s eyes narrowed under the helmet. Could he be referring to Lance?

“I have time, sir,” she replied.

“Good. Come with me, then.” They started down the corridor, Allura trailing behind a little nervously. So far the Galran man hadn’t realized her deceit, so perhaps it held up better than she had assumed.

“Wait here,” the man said, stepping through a doorway. Allura shifted her position, leaning against the wall outside the door. A few Galran… soldiers? Civilians? Some Galra stepped out of the room, and she watched them walk away with caution. Why had the man sent them away?

Leaning closer to the door, she could barely make out the voice of the Galran man.

_“You can’t expect to behave poorly and get away without punishment.”_

The voice trailed off, and she furrowed her brow. Who was in that room? Why did they need punished? What was the man DOING in there?

No other sounds came from the room, and she started when the door slid open.

The Galran man was out of breath, sweating a little. Her lips twisted into a confused frown. What had he been doing?

“Thank you, Lieutenant. You’re free to go.”

She nodded, turning away from the Galran man cautiously. Whoever he was; whatever he’d done; it was suspicious.

She made a mental note to return to that room and pressed on through the ship.

She needed to find Lance.


	18. 18

Lance was broken. A couple of quintents had passed since he’d talked with the team and his papa, and their words still rung in his ears.

_Are you really that surprised we don’t want you here?_

_You’re a quiznaking disgrace._

_You killed your mother._

_We’re so much better off without you._

_You’re no son of mine._

Lance screamed, clapping his hands over his ears. He had to get the voices out, he had to make it stop. Galran attendants rushed to his bedside as he writhed on the mattress. They weakly attempted to hold him down as he thrashed about, clawing and biting and kicking.

He hurt.

He’d thought that Haggar had been bad, but after this? He’d gladly trade places with the past Lance; back when his only worry was how much blood he lost.

This was much worse. This was a ravenous monster clawing at his chest, threatening to rip him into pieces. This was a stabbing ache that flowed through his veins, curdling in his gut and making him sick. This was an irresistible urge to just end it all, hoping that he might find relief in another life. Or; even better, that there wouldn’t be another life. That he could just stop existing. That singular thought was the only thing keeping him sane at this point. Maybe he could rest someday; letting the familiar darkness take him forever.

Finally calming down a little, he stopped thrashing on the bed. Galran attendants retreated, a couple of them bleeding from various bites or scratches.

“Lance, you have not been near as good to my attendants lately,” Lotor said. Lance jumped a little; he hadn’t seen the prince enter the room.

“I’m afraid that I’ve let this go on for too long. You can’t expect to behave poorly and get away without punishment,” the prince continued. Lance didn’t reply. He honestly didn’t care what happened to him at this point. Let Lotor torture him. Maybe he’d accidentally take it too far, and then Lance could finally just die.

Warm breath tickled his ear, and he jerked away in surprise. Lotor was hovering above him, his eyes full of something… new. Something dangerous. Lance wasn’t sure he liked this look.

“Lance… You really are beautiful.” Lotor’s voice was sickeningly sweet, making Lance’s stomach twist.

“Don’t… Don’t say my n-name like that,” he finally whispered, scooting away from the prince.

“Lance, there’s no need to resist this. You know that I would never hurt you.” The prince sat on the bed, reaching out to run his fingers through Lance’s hair. Lance flinched, the touch sending painful shivers down his spine. Alarms blared in his mind, and he shoved Lotor’s hand away.

“S-Stop.” Lance was quivering now, leaning away from the unwelcome touches. Glancing around nervously, he realized that the Galran attendants had left the room. He was alone with Lotor.

“You don’t like it when I say your name?” the prince pouted.

“N-not really,” Lance replied, staring at his lap.

“I can call you something else. How about… Lancey? Lancey-Lance?” Lance shivered again, the words burning his ears.

“Lancey-Lance it is,” the prince replied with a devilish grin. He brushed his fingers along Lance’s arm, leaving burning traces along the skin.

Lance wrenched his arm out of Lotor’s grip, huddling further away. The prince only slid closer, resting a hand on Lance’s knee. He slowly ran his hand up Lance’s thigh, reaching with his other hand to grab Lance’s arm.

“S-Stop it,” Lance said, looking away. He was crying now. When had he started crying?

“Lancey-Lance,” the prince purred, leaning even closer. “You know you want this.” Lance shook his head vigorously. Lotor’s right hand had moved up from his thigh, lightly massaging him through the robe. His breath hitched, bile rising in his throat.

The prince’s left hand reached up from his arm, grasping Lance’s chin coarsely.

Before Lance could react, Lotor thrust his mouth forward, kissing him roughly. Lance kept his lips shut tight, trying to break out of the prince’s grasp.

He was too strong.

Lotor’s tongue found its way into his mouth, and he gagged at the foreign feeling.

His member was hard, reacting to the touch against his will.

He felt fingers in his opening, and he shuddered again, shaking with sobs.

Lotor’s hands were everywhere, massaging, caressing, squeezing, pinching—

He felt a sudden burst of pain as Lotor entered him forcefully.

“S-stop,” he said again, twisting away from the kiss. Tears were streaming down his face.

Lotor didn’t stop, thrusting painfully. Lance cried out, trying to wrench himself out of Lotor’s grip. The prince was so strong.

“You like that? Does that make you feel good? Lance… you’re so beautiful.” The prince panted, his vision cloudy. Lance shut his eyes tightly, hot tears burning his skin. Every thrust brought shooting pain, and he couldn’t stop his loud yelp as Lotor suddenly sped up.

Hot fluid filled him, seeping out onto the bed. Lotor sagged above him, panting heavily. Lance could only lay on the bed, shaking with silent sobs.

Leaning back, Lotor studied him with satisfaction.

“I hope you’ll be kinder to my attendants in the future, Lance. Now you know what can happen when you disobey my orders.”

Lance didn’t reply, staring at the ceiling. He couldn’t look down. He didn’t dare look at the damage. What was once his now belonged to someone else… belonged to Lotor.

“Lancey-Lance? Did you hear what I said?”

Lance shuddered at the words. “Y-Yes,” he finally whimpered, refusing to look at anything but the ceiling above him.

“Good. On a happier note, I’ve decided to start letting you out of this room more often. As long as you’re good, I’ll allow you to accompany me at political functions. The universe deserves to see how beautiful you are.”

Lance heard Lotor leave the room, the door sliding closed behind him.

Slowly, he forced his gaze downward.

White liquid covered the mattress, oozing out of his spread legs. His member was still hard, liquid dripping out of the tip. His scarred legs shook, and he slowly lowered them onto the bed.

It hurt to move. It hurt to… to think. He closed his eyes, drowning out the painful memories. The event kept replaying in his mind. Lotor’s hands. His tongue. Everywhere. All over him. Covering him. Staining his skin.

Lance’s body wasn’t his own anymore. Haggar had stolen whatever pride he had once had in the way he looked, leaving scars across his skin. Now Lotor had left his own scars; invisible ones. These ones felt almost worse. They were harder to heal. Harder to ignore. Harder to forget.

\---

Hours later, Lance’s eyes were dry. He had stopped crying much earlier, the tears simply… stopping. His mind was filled with a stagnant buzz, a pure monotonous bliss. He realized that he should probably be feeling something, but no emotions presented themselves. Maybe this was better; this painless blur.

Lance decided at that moment that he would do what Lotor wanted. Anything to avoid the churning emotion that had plagued him hours before. Anything at all. Because at this point?

Lance had absolutely nothing left.


	19. 19

“Allura, have you found anything about Lance?”

Shiro’s voice buzzed from her wrist, and she clapped her hand over it immediately.

Glancing around the empty corridor nervously, she ducked into a small, closet-like space.

“Shiro, you can’t just start talking to me without any warning!” she hissed.

“I’m sorry! I’m not used to other people being able to hear our comms.”

She rolled her eyes, smiling a little. “This is the best we could do considering the timeframe. Be glad you can communicate with me at all.”

“I am glad for it. Really glad.”

She blushed, biting her lip. “Um, I haven’t found anything about Lance yet. There are so many prison cells here… it could take quintents to go through them all.”

Shiro was silent, most likely thinking.

“Just keep up the good work, Allura,” he finally said, sighing. “We’ll find him soon, I’m sure.”

She nodded, but then remembered he couldn’t see her.

“I’m sure we will, too.”

Silence hung in the air, both of the two lost in thought.

“Allura…” He hesitated, and she felt her breath hitch in her throat.

“Yes?”

“I… good luck. You’ll need it. Stay safe.”

The comm line broke off, and she felt her shoulders slump. For a moment, she thought he might… might have felt something. Something that she could feel burning in her chest with every passing quintent.

Sighing, she stepped out of the closet and started down the corridor. Lance could be in any of these cells, and she’d only explored one section so far.

“Lieutenant! What are you doing here?”

She whipped around, coming face-to-face with a stocky Galra soldier.

“I, uh, was examining the prisoners. They seem a little complacent lately.”

He arched an eyebrow, turning to study the cells carefully. “Have they? I haven’t noticed.”

“Yes, well, I consider myself to be rather observant, sir.” She tried for a confident stance, throwing her hands onto her hips.

He chuckled, surprising her with the sound. It was strange to hear a laugh coming from a Galra soldier.

“Even so, I don’t think this is where you’re supposed to be. Prince Lotor is conducting some kind of meeting with the Weildan tribe, and he wants as many competent soldiers attending as possible.”

“Ah, certainly. I must not have gotten the message,” she answered, smiling brightly.

“You didn’t? I’m going to have some words with GR…” he muttered, scowling.

“It’s no matter,” she replied, shifting her weight slightly. “Where is this meeting?”

“In the central courtroom. I’d hurry if I were you, the meeting will start any moment.”

“Certainly. Thank you for your help.” She smiled sweetly at him, surprised to note a light blush creep up his cheeks.

“Ah, no problem.” He hustled away, arms stiff at his side. She gazed after him, her lips twitching upwards. Who knew that Galra felt emotion? Especially emotions such as… love.

The idea was new to her. The interaction with the soldier had been surprisingly casual, something she could have imagined saying with any Altean. Perhaps there wasn’t as large a difference between the two species as she had thought.

Turning in the corridor, she was struck with a sudden realization:

She had no idea where to go.

\---

After searching for far too long, Allura was almost ready to give up. Sighing, she slumped to the floor. The central courtroom room could be ANYWHERE. This prison was huge.

“Lieutenant! What are you doing here? You’re supposed to be protecting your prince.”

Allura looked up at the voice.

Haggar.

“I… Um, I felt a little ill. Came here to clear my head.” Allura chuckled nervously. Haggar’s scowl only deepened, her eyes blazing.

“Victory or death, Lieutenant,” she hissed. “Return to your post immediately.”

Allura could feel her heart pounding against her chest.

“Ah, about that… I was a bit dizzy and disoriented, so I’m not exactly sure where to go…” She trailed off. Haggar’s frown was even deeper now, her skin wrinkling and twisting.

“Useless,” she finally growled, sneering. She raised her hands, a violet light emerging from her palms. Allura’s eyes widened in fear.

Jets of lightning shot towards her, and everything went black.

\---

Allura woke with a start.

She was in… a conference room? Galra soldiers stood to either side of her, standing at attention. A large table took up the majority of the room, a variety of aliens surrounding it. The Galra soldier to her right leaned close to her ear.

“The meeting just began, it started late. Sorry you got witched.” He stood straight again, staring resolutely forward. Allura was finding it difficult to understand what had happened. How did she get here? What did the soldier mean “witched”?

“Welcome, dear friends and partners.” Allura looked towards the voice with a start. It was the same Galra man who had recruited her in the hallway the other quintent. Was he… was he the prince?

“I’m glad you’ve all found the time to meet with me today,” he continued, grinning confidently. “For some time, the Galran Empire has tried to take the galaxy by force. I, however, believe that there is a far better alternative. Arrangements can be met without violence, using diplomacy and communication. Despite what my father may have you believe, the Galra are not all bloodthirsty monsters.” He chuckled lightly, and the other diplomats joined in uncomfortably.

Allura furrowed her brow. Who was this prince? Did he actually want to bring peace to the galaxy? She found it hard to believe, but the evidence was staring her straight in the face. There was much more to the Galran empire than she had originally believed.

“I’d like to arrange a treaty with your system,” the prince continued, his voice firm. “The Galran empire will provide protection and aid from violent threats such as Voltron in exchange for a 30% tax on resources.” A light murmur ran around the table, the diplomats considering his offer.

Allura couldn’t help but feel enraged. She wanted to shout at them. This was obviously a trap! They couldn’t pledge themselves to the Galran empire, it was simply out of the question.

“We will accept the offer,” one diplomat finally answered, turning his slug-like head towards the prince.

“Excellent.” The prince’s face broke into a grin. “My generals will meet with you later to discuss specifics. In the meantime, please accept a token of my gratitude.”

He turned to the side, and Allura squinted. Something was laying at his feet.

With a light jangle, a figure stood. It was almost naked, the only clothing hanging around its gaunt waist. A small, golden chain ran from its neck to Lotor’s palm, jingling lightly with every move. Scars riddled the body, and ribs poked through gaunt skin. The most disturbing part, however, were the eyes. They stared forward blankly, almost unaware of their surroundings. Dark bruises hung under them, and sharp cheekbones rose from the skeletal face. Allura shivered. She couldn’t imagine what this poor creature must have been through.

“Lancey-Lance, why don’t you show my dear friends how grateful we are?”

His words hit Allura like a slap to the face. That couldn’t be Lance. The figure was too gaunt, too haunted.

Even as she internally denied the possibility, her brain started to pick up on the similarities. They were Lance’s eyes. Lance’s chin. His hair. His hideous ears. His lanky figure. She shook her head slowly, bracing herself against the wall behind her. The soldiers to her sides glanced at her with worry, and she desperately tried to force her emotions under control.

Lance had stepped away from the prince, staring at his feet blankly. A Galran attendant placed something in his hands, and he turned to face the conference table again. He held several golden chains in his palms, each chain dangling with a simple black opal.

“These are tokens of trust and companionship between the Galra and your respective planets,” the prince explained. Lance moved around the table, distributing the jewelry mechanically. A few of the diplomats stared at him hungrily, but he seemed oblivious to their gaze. “With these tokens, you will have the ability to summon Galran troops whenever you may need our aid. Do not treat this arrangement lightly.”

Lance gave away the last of the pendants and returned to Lotor’s side obediently. Lotor brushed his cheek lightly, and Allura didn’t miss his light flinch.

This couldn’t be happening. Lance was HERE. He was right in front of her. He was the prince’s personal… _pet_.

She wanted to scream. She wanted to dive across the room and throttle the prince. She wanted to personally watch the life drain out of his eyes; wrap her fingers around his throat and squeeze as hard as she could.

Instead she stood there. She STOOD there. Allura was disgusted with herself. She was so close to Lance, and she did nothing.

Deep down, she knew that she was doing what was right. They needed more information. They needed a plan. She needed to take a breath and regroup. That was getting harder and harder the more she watched Lance’s face.

He was hurt. Broken. Tears slipped down her cheeks, and she did her very best to hide them before anyone noticed. Luckily, she’d gotten pretty good at that recently.

The conference had ended, and the diplomats filtered out of the room slowly. The guards were exiting as well, and she followed them hesitantly. Looking over her shoulder, she stared at Lance again. The prince ran a hand down his chest, and Allura had to force herself to keep walking.

Lance was here, Lance was alive, and Lance was in dire need of rescue.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "Lieutenant! What are you doing here?" --like every galra on the ship, probably


	20. 20

Lance stared ahead blankly. Lotor had been parading him around at various meetings for a considerable amount of time now, although he hadn’t really kept track. It all blurred together anyways.

A familiar blank buzz filled his mind, and he blinked slowly at the prince standing at his side. His master, or whatever. It didn’t really matter.

“Welcome… entertainment… small, but…--taking.” The prince was saying something, but he couldn’t seem to force his foggy mind to focus. They were at another conference, and small furry creatures were chittering to one another incessantly. He couldn’t help but frown at the obnoxious noises.

“Lancey-Lance.” He started at the sound of his name and turned to the prince. “Why don’t you show these wonderful people what you can do?”

Of course Lotor had figured out he could dance. It had been a cruel day. Lotor had been parading him around as usual, and a band had been playing in the background. His hips had started to sway without him even realizing it, some buried instinct rising in spite of his situation. Lotor had picked up on it immediately, and then it was over. Now he was not only a sex-toy, but a full-fledged physical source of entertainment, only existing for the pleasure of others.

He felt some buried emotion prickle at these thoughts, and he immediately shoved it down. Emotions were not something he could manage. It was better to just drown it all out with blank static.

Stepping to the front of the room, he turned to face the small crowd. Their faces blurred together, melding with the countless eyes that had seen him before. It was always the same. The only face he could distinctly pick out was that of the prince. His yellow eyes flashed triumphantly, sick pleasure twisting his features.

The music slowly drifted through the room, strange instruments blending together into something Lance could feel a slight pull to. He let his mind take a backseat, relaxing into the static of his brain as his body took over. He’d always been a good dancer, and he was grateful for the opportunity to let go of himself. On earth, he’d made it a point to pour his soul into his dancing. He’d loved expressing his emotion and feelings through twists of the hips and tilts of the chin. This, however, was not like that. He kept his soul as buried as possible, mechanically performing the movements. If he could keep himself and his dancing separate, he wouldn’t have to dredge up the repressed emotions he’d been shoving away for months now. Or maybe it had only been days. Really, he didn’t know.

The music drifted to a stop, and he forced himself to regain control of his body. Back to work.

The creatures were making odd clicking sounds, staring at him with their beady eyes. He turned his foggy head towards Lotor, cringing at the obvious lust he could sense present there. Perhaps he’d performed _too_ well. 

Lance suddenly faltered as a distant rumble shook the conference room. The small creatures chattered nervously, not sure how to react. He turned to Lotor, his glazed eyes recognizing the confusion and rage evident on his face.

“Guards… explosion… ship… --ediately!”

Lance stared at the prince blankly. Something was obviously happening, but he couldn’t bring himself to focus on the potential threats. His mind felt blissfully empty.

“Lance!” The prince was shouting his name, and he blinked slowly at the Galran man. “We need to leave here at once!”

Suddenly the prince’s fingers were gripped tightly around his wrist, and his brow furrowed. When had he moved?

Then they were running down the corridor, Lance stumbling more than anything else. A faint sense of worry was drifting through his mind, and he desperately tried to force it away. If he let even one emotion in, they’d all break through his fragile barrier.

Lotor screeched to a stop, and he felt his arm jerk as Lotor pulled him back. The pain throbbed dully, and he looked to the prince in confusion. Why did he stop?

A flash of red and white flew before him, and he tried as hard as he could to focus on the sudden movement. What was happening?

“Lance!”

The sound of his name made him freeze. It had almost sounded like… No, it couldn’t be. He immediately shoved the thought out of his mind. His team had abandoned him. He needed to break out of this.

Sinking to the floor, he muttered encouragement to himself. He had to wake up. He’d been through episodes like this before, and it never ended well. He needed to force himself awake.

This wasn’t real. This wasn’t happening. He needed to wake up. Wake up.

Why couldn’t he wake up?


	21. 21

Keith growled, sprinting down the corridor. He could hear his team yelling at him through his helmet, but he switched it off in a fit of rage. He needed to find Lance.

Throwing himself around a corner, he stopped abruptly.

It was him.

Lotor was dragging Lance along, jerking him back immediately when he noticed Keith standing there. There was a moment of charged energy as Keith and Lotor panted, glaring at each other.

Keith let his eyes dart to the blue paladin for a split-second. He was wearing nothing but a small drape of fabric to cover himself, and a golden chain fell from his neck to Lotor’s clenched fist. His ribs rose and fell rapidly, and his eyes seemed unfocused and distant, gazing at Lotor questioningly. Allura hadn’t been lying.

Keith felt his blood boil at the sight, and he turned back to the Galran prince with a growl. His bayard appeared in his clenched fist, and he darted forward to engage the prince.

Lotor release his grip on Lance’s wrist, drawing his own sword. They clashed in a burst of sparks, frighteningly close to Lance’s head.

“Lance!” he called, trying to warn him away from the raging duel. However, instead of throwing himself out of harm’s way, Lance slumped to the floor. Keith couldn’t help but stare in surprise. The blue paladin was cowering on the cold ground, murmuring something incomprehensible under his breath. A sharp flare of anger filled his chest, and he turned to Lotor with renewed vigor.

“What did you do to him?” he forced out, clenching his jaw painfully. The prince only smiled.

“It really didn’t take much. Your blue paladin was easy to break.”

Keith felt a burst of rage, and he swung his sword towards Lotor with as much aggression as he could muster. The prince barely blocked his attack, stumbling a little. Keith swung his bayard again, pounding the Galran with as many deadly blows as he could. The prince was frustratingly good at this, blocking every swing with an equal amount of vigor.

“I don’t know why you bother,” the prince snarled, sword clashing with Keith’s bayard painfully. “He’ll never trust you again.”

Keith faltered at that. Lance wouldn’t trust him? What was that supposed to mean?

Lotor took advantage of his miniscule hesitation, turning to the offensive. Keith was suddenly faced with a barrage of attacks, barely bringing his bayard to meet each jolting swing.

Sweat dripped down his face, and he grunted as the prince made his first hit. His left forearm stung, but he pushed the pain away. Darting underneath Lotor’s raised arms, he placed a solid kick to the prince’s backside, pushing him off balance.

The prince stumbled with a grunt, and Keith took full advantage of his weakness. Swinging his bayard around with a sharp shout, he felt the blade sink into the prince’s undefended left rib. Lotor let out a harsh yell, lurching to the side. To Keith’s horror, he tripped over Lance’s prone figure, landing on the blue paladin with a grunt.

“¡No! ¡No me p-puedo despertar, no me t-toques, nec-necessito d-despertarme!”

Lance was screaming, writhing under Lotor’s weight. The prince groaned, trying to force himself back up. Keith didn’t give him the chance.

With strength that surprised even him, he grabbed Lotor’s collar and flung him away from Lance. He landed almost ten yards away, screaming in pain. Keith couldn’t find an ounce of sympathy to give. Lance was covered in Lotor’s blood, the red mixing with sweat as he shook on the floor.

“Lance, Lance, listen to me. I’m here, I’m here.” Keith fell to his knees, shakily reaching out to the blue paladin. Lance was still screaming something, trembling and wailing harshly. His sobs shook his frail frame, and Keith scooped the paladin into his arms. Lance tried to push him off, but his attempts were weak and uncoordinated. Keith slowly lifted him from the ground, cradling him against his chest. They needed to get back to the castle.

“No m-me puedo despertar,” Lance mumbled, shaking. Keith tightened his grip around the blue paladin, concern rushing through him. Something was really wrong, and he needed to get Lance as far away from here as possible.

“You’re going to regret this.”

Keith turned with a start, meeting Lotor’s steely gaze. He was clutching his side desperately, blood seeping from between his fingers.

“I’m not scared of you,” he retorted. Lotor, however, only smiled. It was sinister, full of something that Keith couldn’t place.

“It’s not me you should be worried about,” the prince replied. “It’s him. You’ll regret taking him back.”

Keith’s head spun, anger filling his vision again.

“You don’t know what you’re talking about,” he spat, taking a step back down the hallway he came from. Lotor chuckled, the sound wet and throaty.

“Oh, my dear red paladin. You don’t know how broken he is.”

“And you don’t know how strong he is,” Keith shot back, retreating quicker now. He needed to get to the castle.

“It’s your own sentence! You’ll tear Voltron apart from within!” Lotor was laughing harder now, blood dripping down his chin.

Keith turned away, finally forcing himself to run from the grisly scene. Lotor’s laugh echoed around him, and he sped up slightly, desperate to escape the awful sound.

Lance was muttering to himself again, and Keith whispered encouragement to him as they ran.

“Don’t worry, it’ll be ok. We’re going to get back to the lions and the castle. It’ll be ok, you’re safe now.” He wasn’t sure if his words had any impact, as the blue paladin continued to stare forward blankly, mumbling under his breath. He kept it up, though, no matter how hard it was to talk and run at the same time. He’d trained for this kind of situation.

Skidding around the corner, his lion came into view ahead of him. Galra soldiers were filling the room, barely held off by the other paladins. Keith switched his comms back on, not breaking his stride.

“Guys, I’ve got Lance! Give me some cover here.” The other paladins turned towards him in surprise.

“Lance! Oh god, is he alive?”

“Keith, are you ok?”

“Oh my god, there’s so much blood,”

“Get him to a healing pod!”

Keith ignored them the best he could, dashing to the mouth of his lion. It was waiting for him impatiently, scooping him up into the cockpit carefully. Gently, he laid Lance down behind his chair, sliding into the seat as quickly as possible.

“Alright Red, we’ve gotta get back to the castle.”

With a deep purr, his lion darted out of the galra prison, flying through the same hole they’d made to get in. He vaguely noticed the other paladins retreating as well, and was suddenly grateful that they had no reason to defeat the Galra this time. They just needed to escape.

“Coran, I need a wormhole. We’ve got Lance, and we’re on our way back to the castle.

“On it, Number Four.”

Keith couldn’t help the light smile that tugged at his lips. Coran hadn’t joked around with anyone in a while.

The wormhole appeared ahead of him, and he narrowed his eyes in concentration. Kicking his lion into a faster speed, he flew through the wormhole’s entrance.

Switching Red to auto-pilot, he turned to Lance. The blue paladin was cowering on the floor, looking confused and lost.

“Lance. Lance, are you ok? Can you hear me?” He reached out, placing his hands on either side of Lance’s face and brushing the skin lightly with his thumbs. Lance’s unfocused gaze came to rest on Keith’s face, and his brows furrowed in confusion.

“Keith?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welp, that's it for this book! I'll be starting the sequel soon, called Convalescence. Thanks so much for all of your support! I love love love all the comments I've gotten (ok there's only 3, but all the same). It really means a lot to know that there are people who enjoy my work. I'm also updating on Wattpad, and have a few other fics posted there as well. Feel free to check it out, my username is haylches there as well. Anyways, thanks for reading! It means a lot!
> 
> Oh, Spanish translations:   
> “¡No! ¡No me p-puedo despertar, no me t-toques, nec-necessito d-despertarme!”   
> \--- No! I can't wake up, don't touch me, I need to wake up!
> 
> "No m-me puedo despertar"  
> \--- I can't wake up


End file.
